The Bourne Identity

His memory is blank. He only knows that he was flushed out of the Mediterranean Sea, his body riddled with bullets. There are a few clues. A frame of microfilm surgically implanted beneath the flesh of his hip. Evidence that plastic surgery has altered his face. Strange things that he says in his delirium -- maybe code words. Initials: "J.B." And a number on the film negative that leads to a Swiss bank account, a fortune of four million dollars, and, at last, a name: Jason Bourne.

Where the heck did the movie come from?

This was such a good book I LOVED it! The Bourne movies are great and I was reluctant to purchase the books because I thought they would be redundant..Show More ». Maybe a little more fleshed out but boy was I mistaken! The two stories bare some similarities but that's where it ends. This book it Action Packed from beginning to end. There are a lot of characters but I did not think it was difficult to keep up with them. I cannot wait to finish the remaining Ludlum/Bourne books. Not sure if I will listen to the post Ludlum but will probably at least try one.

The Bourne Identity: Jason Bourne Series, Book 1

He was dragged from the sea, his body riddled with bullets. There are a few clues: a frame of microfilm surgically implanted beneath the skin of his hip; evidence that plastic surgery has altered his face; strange things he says in his delirium, which could be code words. And a number on the film negative that leads to a bank account in Zurich, four million dollars, and a name for the amnesiac: Jason Bourne. Now he is running for his life.

Histrionic performance ruined this book for me!

I've read The Bourne Identity many times. It's a great thriller - full of excitement, well-paced and well-constructed. It's a little old-fashioned now..Show More »adays, I guess, but I was really excited when I saw it was available from Audible and bought it straightaway.

What a disappointment!!! The reader, Scott Brick, who is billed as an outstanding performer, gave an over-the-top histrionic performance which completely ruined this talking book for me!

"And he LOOKED over the BOAT'S RAILING and he SAW ...". Enough of that - you get the picture. Every noun and every verb was declaimed in a tone of almost complete hysteria.

I was driving the car down a country lane while I listened to the start of the book and I had to pull off the road after about 20 minutes and stop the performance. I just couldn't stand any more!

I'll never listen to The Bourne Identity now, sadly -- what a total waste of an excellent book. And why on earth did the reader feel the need to do this?? I'll be watching out for books read by Scott Brick in future -- to make sure I avoid them ...

The Bourne Supremacy

This time the stakes are higher than ever. For someone else has taken on the Bourne identity, a ruthless killer who must be stopped or the world will pay a devastating price. To succeed, the real Jason Bourne must maneuver through the dangerous labyrinth of international espionage, an exotic world filled with CIA plots, turncoat agents, and ever-shifting alliances, all the while hoping to find the truth behind his haunted memories and the answers to his own fragmented past.

Wish I could give it 10 Stars!!!

Fantastic listen: Entertaining, Exciting and Captivating. Better than 'Bourne Identity' (didn't think that was possible}. Can't say enough. Don't expe..Show More »ct to hear what you saw on the screen (two different stories - both unbelievable). If I sound like a Bourne enthusiast, you're right. Wish that Ludlum were still alive and writing.

The Bourne Supremacy: Jason Bourne Series, Book 2

Washington, London and Peking - terror sweeps the globe. The Vice-Premier of the People's Republic has been brutally murdered by a legendary assassin and everyone is asking the same fearful questions: Why has Bourne come back? Who is paying him? Who is next on his death list? But US officials know the shocking truth: there is no Jason Bourne. There never was. But someone has resurrected the name, and if he is not stopped, the world will pay a devastating price. Jason Bourne must live again.

Best of the series

Action, politics, psychology, complexity. Great story, keeping it tense until the end. Solid story telling from the performer.

The Bourne Ultimatum

The world's two deadliest spies in the ultimate showdown. At a small-town carnival two men, each mysteriously summoned by telegram, witness a bizarre killing. The telegrams are signed Jason Bourne. Only they know Bourne's true identity and understand the telegram is really a message from Bourne's mortal enemy, Carlos, known also as the Jackal, the world's deadliest and most elusive terrorist. And furthermore, they know that the Jackal wants: a final confrontation with Bourne.

Was the Movie supposed to be based on this book?

I agree with some of what has been written but I still felt that this was a good purchase for me. There were so many story lines it sometimes got a l..Show More »ittle confusing I'm still not sure of what happened with one of them. (Will not spoil here) After the book I decided to rent the movie. Do not get the two confused, they have nothing in common except the man named Bourne. And the movie was REALLY bad! Talk about a waste of money.
I digress, as for the Narrator, Scott Brick is my favorite and I feel he did a fine job considering how many story lines he was trying to cover. As for his slow speech I feel like that is his style and I had no problem with it.
This is a long book, it was not a one afternoon listen but if you have a long drive, or can spread it out over several days I feel it was a good listen for a while then take a break.
You may need to take notes while you listen to keep up with all of the branches on the story but overall I felt like this was a decent book. Much better then some I have listened to.

The Bourne Ultimatum: Jason Bourne Series, Book 3

It all starts with a cat-and-mouse chase to the death in a Baltimore funfair: the Jackal, Bourne's age-old antagonist, is back and Bourne is forced from his idyllic retirement with his wife and children to confront his enemy. In Europe, Russia and America there are men and women whose lust for power is disguised by their positions and respectability. Their aim: to gain control at the highest level, to avenge, to destroy.

The Bourne Legacy

In Robert Ludlum's ground-breaking career, no other character so captured the world's imagination as Jason Bourne. He appeared in three of Robert Ludlum's own best-selling novels, his best-selling works to this day. Now, with the major motion picture adaptation of Ludlum's The Bourne Supremacy, the Ludlum estate has finally acceded to the demands of readers around the world, turning to best-selling writer Eric Van Lustbader to create a brand new Jason Bourne novel, The Bourne Legacy.

It sure reads like a Ludlum book!

The book was wonderful! It was a perfect flow from the other Bourne books. Eric Van Lustbader has absorbed the Ludlum style so perfectly that Bourne h..Show More »imself wouldn't know it wasn't Ludlum. With so many different characters in the story it could easily have confused the listener if it weren't for the wonderful character development of the author, and the just as great character differentiation of the narrator. This is a MUST READ!

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Betrayal

Jason Bourne takes on a mission to rescue his only friend in the CIA, Martin Lindros, who disappeared in Africa while tracking shipments of yellowcake uranium. Once safely back in America, Lindros persuades Bourne to help track the money trail of terrorists buying the nuclear material in Odessa. But once there, Bourne is hampered by confusing flashbacks, and he wonders: is someone brainwashing him in order to throw him off the trail? Worse, is the man he saved in Africa really Martin Lindros?

Disappointing

I was hoping for the intrigue and clever plot from past Bourne adventures, but Jason Bourne has reverted to a comic book style character in very famil..Show More »iar story lines. Jason is still the lethal, lone-wolf super spy. He is fluent in a multitude of unusual languages and has countless expert skills that would take a dozen lifetimes to acquire. He withstands relentless near death beatings, from which he is able to recover with minor medical care and and an enourmous effort of will. Jason must contend with an evil and clever foe, double agents, an intelligence comunity that does not appreciate his talents, and a government bogged down in inertia. Jason must save the United States from calamity using only his boundless ingenuity and the help of a very few and clever friends, but the clock is ticking ... While I do not want to give away the plot, this reminded me of the old James Bond novels and movies. I know this is a common plot, but I had hoped for something more original.

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Sanction

Jason Bourne needs to regain his life as David Webb, so he accepts an invitation from his beloved mentor, Dominic Specter, to join the Linguistics department at Georgetown. It's a relief to leave the Bourne identity behind, but Jason soon finds himself in a life-or-death confrontation in which every move might be his last.

He's no Ludlum!

On top of the disjointed storyline and too many boring, stereotypical characters, the writing is just atrocious! The metaphors rival those of an aspi..Show More »ring junior high writer. I've enjoyed the Bourne stories because they are based on a sensational premise but are/were so well written and well thought out that they were believable. This book requires way too much suspension of disbelief...there's actually a part where the writer can't really explain how the handy cross bows got to the right place at the right time. And the twists and turns are just absurd!! Don't waste your time or money.

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Sanction

For Jason Bourne, forever caught between two identities - mild-mannered linguist David Webb and lethal super-spy - life can never be ordinary. But when his old mentor installs him as head of the comparative linguistics department at Georgetown University, it seems he may have found a measure of normalcy at last. That is, until a hitherto unknown terrorist organisation comes up with a plan to execute a major attack on the East Coast of the United States within a week.

The Bourne Deception

Jason Bourne's nemesis Arkadin is still hot on his trail and the two continue their struggle, reversing roles of hunter and hunted. When Bourne is ambushed and badly wounded, he fakes his death and goes into hiding. In safety, he takes on a new identity, and begins a mission to find out who tried to assassinate him. Jason begins to question who he really is, how much of him is tied up in the Bourne identity, and what he would become if that was suddenly taken away from him.

Disappointed

I was looking forward to the next Bourne Novel and grabbed this one. Sorry I did! I miss Robert Ludlum. It seems like the entire novel is a series ..Show More »of fight scenes that are so long to the point of being boring. If the author would spend more time on Bourne's early history, as he did on Arkadin (was interesting) it would be more enjoyable. Hungry for more "GOOD BOURNE" but looks like the character has run out.

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Deception

Jason Bourne's nemesis, Arkadin, is still hot on his trail, and the two continue their struggle, reversing roles of hunter and hunted. When Bourne is ambushed and badly wounded, he fakes his death and goes into hiding. In safety, he takes on a new identity, and begins a mission to find out who tried to assassinate him. Jason begins to question who he really is, how much of him is tied up in the Bourne identity, and what he would become if that was suddenly taken away from him.

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Objective

Facing down mercenaries in Africa, Jason Bourne witnesses the death of an art dealer named Tracy Atherton. Her killing dredges up snatches of Bourne's impaired memory, in particular the murder of a young woman on Bali who entrusted him with a strangely engraved ring­­ - an artifact of such powerful significance that people have killed to obtain it. Now he's determined to find the ring's owner and purpose. But Bourne never knows what terrible acts he'll discover he committed when he digs into the past.

Very hard to follow.

It didn't flow well for me. Too many characters and too much jumping around.

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Objective

Readers and listeners were first introduced to Jason Bourne's nemesis Leonid Arkadin, a brilliant Russian assassin and fearless international mercenary, in The Bourne Sanction. His girlfriend was killed during a fight for which an enraged Arkadin blames Bourne. In The Bourne Deception, Arkadin hunted Bourne to take revenge and kill him. Bourne, in a fight for his life, learned that Arkadin's skills mirror Jason's because he received the same original CIA Treadstone training.

Overall disappointing

Maybe I over-enjoyed the previous Bourne's. Maybe the moon wasn't right. Maybe Scott Sowers' enthusiasm and funny accents finally began to irritate me..Show More ». Other Bourne editions were thrilling. But this edition disappointed me. Just too much, too many twists, too many narrow escapes. The story wasn't compelling and even turned a bit Steve Berry/Dan Brown-ish with ancient mysteries and treasures. Bad ones, too. Eric van Lustbader, thanks for your effort but my cup is full. Please send out a bulletin and either let the man die or better, let him have his peace, let him marry the girl, make babies and build the house with the white picket fence. It's enough.

Robert Ludlum's (TM) The Bourne Dominion

Jason Bourne is searching for an elusive cadre of terrorists planning to destroy America's most strategic natural resources. He needs the help of his long-time friend, General Boris Karpov, the newly appointed head of Russia's most feared spy agency, FSB-2. Karpov is one of the most determined, honorable, and justice-hungry men that Bourne knows. But Karpov has made a deal with the devil. In order to remain the head of FSB-2, he must hunt down and kill Bourne.

A Lesson Learned

It is fairly rare that a series continued by a ghost author is as good as the original. Bourne Dominion is a case in point. It's long and a spook st..Show More »ory, but that is where the similarities end. Ludlum was a master at developing complex plots and characters, infusing them with tension and still (usually) maintaining coherence. Van Lustbader is capable of neither. The plot is complex but poorly constructed and at times senseless. Characters are sometimes implausible (an uneducated blue collar worker is a member of and has knowledge of the most secret plans of an elitist organization?) and not rendered well. Even Bourne, whom we know well, is reduced to an almost comedic level. The production qualities are also a severe disappointment. A reader who only reads and does little to contribute to characters and worse to pace; and an insipid and annoying sound effect to alert us that fast paced action is occurring as if we weren't really listening at all make this a hard listen. I kept hoping it would get better, it didn't. Do yourself a favor. Don't.

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Dominion

Of all Robert Ludlum's bestsellers, the Bourne novels remain among his most-read, most listened-to, and most-loved. Re-enter the shadowy world of Jason Bourne, an expert assassin like no other, in this latest fast-paced, action-packed instalment that shows why Ludlum still remains the unsurpassed master of the genre.

Overwritten - tries too hard

I was very disappointed with this book, although as another reader has suggested the Bourne books make better films than a good read. The plots are a..Show More »lways a little far fetched, especially when the heroes can always take out 10 bad guys.

The writing was too contrived and when I say over-written I mean the author tries too hard to describe things that could be left to the reader. The most over-used word in this book is "like" because it overuses similes..... as in "like a string of rotten pearls".. or a dog's arched back looking "like a scimitar". Once I noticed that I couldn't help counting the similes and in one 10 minute segment I heard four. Sometimes the words don't need to be explained... we get it. Many other authors (eg Grisham, Connelly etc) paint just as good a picture without having to explain what a common sound or smell is "like". I just found this distracted me from the plot and it became annoying.

The narrator had a clear voice and differentiated the characters, but I found him a little staccato for my liking.

I also found it annoying that the producers had to put theme music in to signify the mood (fast and dramatic for the action scenes, slow for the wistful). My impression was they didn't think the narrator could convey the mood (he could) or they didn't believe I could work out it was a dramatic scene.... or maybe they were into similes too. Background music works in the movies... doesn't work here. I marked the performance down because of that.

I could easily have stopped listening to this book halfway through. I did finish it and thoroughly enjoyed the next book from my library all the more, just for the pleasure of hearing simple effective writing.

Robert Ludlum's (TM) The Bourne Imperative

The man Jason Bourne fishes out of the freezing sea is near death, half-drowned and bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound. He awakens with no memory of who he is or why he was shot-and Bourne is eerily reminded of his own amnesia. Then Bourne discovers that the Mossad agent named Rebeka is so determined to find this injured man that she has gone off the grid, cut her ties to her agency, and is now being stalked by Mossad's most feared killer.

Worst Bourne ever

I'm not sure where to begin - the reader, the story line, the writing - they have slowly been getting worse but this book is an absolute disaster. Bo..Show More »urne is a minor character at best - and his skills are not longer a factor - he's just a vanilla character

The Bourne Imperative

When Jason Bourne pulls a drowning man from a lake, he discovers that the man is not only freezing - but bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound. He wakes as an amnesiac, with no memory of who he is or why he was shot - and Bourne is eerily reminded of his own past. Meanwhile, Mossad agent Rebekah is so determined to find this man that she's gone off the grid, cut her ties to her agency, and risks a summary execution if caught by her former colleagues.

Robert Ludlum's (TM) The Bourne Retribution

Bourne's friend Eli Yadin, head of Mossad, learns that Ouyang Jidan, a senior member of China's Politburo, and a major Mexican drug lord may have been trafficking in something far more deadly than drugs. Yadin needs Bourne to investigate. Bourne agrees, but only because he has a personal agenda: Ouyang Jidan is the man who ordered Rebeka - one of the only people Bourne has ever truly cared about - murdered.

Great story, terrible choice for a narrator.

Have always loved Ludlum novels, especially the Bourne series. However, a great story was ruined by changing to a new narrator that, frankly, sounds ..Show More »like a young college kid. Had to bail out on the audio book and read it myself.

Robert Ludlum's the Bourne Retribution

Bourne's friend Eli Yadin, head of Mossad, learns that Ouyang Jidan, a senior member of China's Politburo, and a major Mexican drug lord may have been trafficking in something far more deadly than drugs. Yadin convinces Bourne to investigate. Bourne agrees, but only because he has a personal agenda: Ouyang Jidan is the man who ordered Rebeka - one of the only people Bourne has ever truly cared about - murdered.

Robert Ludlum's (TM) The Bourne Ascendancy

In this thrilling and absorbing new novel Jason Bourne is faced with an impossible mission. He has been hired to impersonate a high-level government minister at a political summit meeting in Qatar, shielding the minister from any assassination attempts. Suddenly, armed gunmen storm the room, killing everyone but Bourne. Their target, however, isn't the minister Bourne impersonates...it is Bourne himself.